2006 Clerc Center Summer Activities:
Summer Institute
Family Learning Vacation
Summit 2006: Learn. Lead. Achieve.
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From June 23-25, the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center hosted a Family Learning Vacation (FLV), a weekend retreat for families with deaf and hard of hearing children.
Family Learning Vacation participants enjoy dancing on stage with members of the Wild Zappers and the National Deaf Dance Theatre. |
The weekend brought families together to learn from each other and emphasized the importance of families communicating with their deaf and hard of hearing children. It incorporated family-friendly activities related to American Sign Language, English literacy, and thinking about the future related to the world of work. The families, who were from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, also participated in many exciting events, such as a Family Olympics, family flag making, a read aloud, and a panel discussion. “Our goal is to enable children to be fully participating members of their families,” said Carla Hanyzewski, family educator for the Clerc Center and organizer of the FLV event.
Parents were delighted to have the unique opportunity to meet with other parents of deaf and hard of hearing children and with deaf staff members, who came from diverse backgrounds and showed variation in their signing styles. “Having exposure to so many deaf adults was an eye-opening experience for the families,” Hanyzewski remarked. “The participating families indicated on their evaluation forms that they were very pleased with the event.”
For information on FLV 2007, please visit the Clerc Center website in October.
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